Induction of Labor with Vaginal Dinoprostone (PGE) in Patients with a Previous Cesarean Section: Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Vaginal dinoprostone (PGE) is currently used as the prostaglandin of choice in many obstetric units. However, few studies have evaluated its safety, especially in women who previously had a cesarean section.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of PGE in pregnant women who are undergoing induction of labor (IOL), and who have had a previous cesarean section.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective observational study was conducted in La Mancha Centro Hospital in Alcázar de San Juan, Spain, from 1 February 2019 to 30 August 2020. Obstetric and neonatal outcomes, following IOL with PGE, in 47 pregnant women who wanted a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC), and 377 pregnant women without a history of cesarean section, were analyzed. The outcomes were analyzed by bivariate and multivariate analyses using binary and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

A total of 424 women were included in this study. The percentage of cesarean sections in the TOLAC group was 44.7% (21), compared with 31.6% (119) in the group without a history of cesarean section (adjusted odds ratio: 1.4; 95% CI: 0.68-2.86). In the multivariate analysis, no statistically significant differences were observed between both groups for obstetric and neonatal outcomes ( > 0.05). However, two uterine ruptures (4.3%) occurred in the group of patients with a history of cesarean section who underwent IOL with PGE.

CONCLUSIONS

The induction of labor with vaginal dinoprostone (PGE), in patients with a previous history of cesarean section, was not associated with worse obstetric or neonatal outcomes compared with the group of patients without a history of cesarean section in our study sample. However, further research is needed regarding this IOL method, and it should be used with caution in this population group.